Freda Cruse Atwell
Freda Cruse Atwell (or Freda Cruse Phillips) is a writer and photographer.At the age of 17, Cruse left Arkansas to begin studies at the University of California, San Diego. In San Diego, she met fashion photographer Richard Avedon for whom she worked off and on from 1977 to 1985. At this time—during the shooting of In The American West—she found she was more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it, leading to an interest in photography.In 1976 Cruse married and had a daughter. The marriage ended in divorce in 1980.During this period she met Jack D. Douglas, a UCSD sociology professor, who became her mentor. Cruse started as his research assistant but became his co-author in 1978, culminating in their 1988 book, Love, Intimacy, and Sex. Cruse graduated from UCSD with a Bachelor's degree in 1980.Her second marriage lasted from 1981–1987, with a daughter, Nikki Lee, born in 1982. Her third marriage was from 1988–2004, with a third daughter born in 1989.Following her daughter Nikki Lee's death in 2002, Cruse Atwell formed the Nikki Lee Atwell Foundation.
Personal facts
| Alias (AKA) | Freda Cruse Phillips |
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| Birth date | October 21, 1957 |
| Birth name | Freda Gail Cruse |
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